This Monday, on the eve of the solemnity of the Nativity of Jesus, Pope Leo XIV and the cardinals and superiors of the Roman Curia exchanged Christmas greetings.
One might consider sending brief Christmas greetings, replying to the Cardinal Dean, as a way of getting through this busy time of year.
However, the Pope has taken advantage of his Speech to delve into fundamental concepts such as mission and communion in the Church, and a call to personal conversion, with explicit references to two Councils: Nicaea and Vatican II. Here are some of his words.
In the light of Christmas
The Pontiff began by reminding us that “the light of Christmas comes to meet us, inviting us to rediscover the newness that, from the humble cave in Bethlehem, runs through human history (...). God became flesh, became our brother, and remains forever as God-with-us.”.
Promoting evangelization
His first reference was to Pope Francis, who passed away this year. “His prophetic voice, his pastoral style, and his rich teaching,” he said, “have marked the path of the Church in recent years, encouraging us above all to put God's mercy back at the center, to give greater impetus to evangelization, to be a joyful and cheerful Church, welcoming to all, attentive to the poorest.”.
Pope Francis drew inspiration from his Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii gaudium to speak about “two fundamental aspects of the life of the Church: mission and communion.”.
“The Church is, by nature, extroverted, open to the world, missionary,” he emphasized. “It has received from Christ the gift of the Spirit to bring the good news of God's love to all.”.
Evangelizing mission of the Church
Evangelii gaudium encourages us to move forward in the missionary transformation of the Church, which finds its inexhaustible strength in the mandate of the Risen Christ.
‘In this “going forth” of Jesus, the ever-new scenarios and challenges of the Church’s evangelizing mission are present, and we are all called to this new missionary “going forth” (EG, 20).’.
And “the first great “exodus”, therefore, is that of God, who comes out of himself to meet us. The mystery of Christmas announces precisely this: the mission of the Son consists in his coming into the world (cf. St. Augustine, The Trinity, IV, 20.28).”.
“Structures should not hinder, stop the spread of the Gospel, or impede the dynamism of evangelization; on the contrary, we must ‘ensure that all of them become more missionary’ (Evangelii gaudium, 27).”
And of the Roman Curia
Therefore, in the spirit of baptismal co-responsibility, we are all called to participate in Christ's mission, the Pope said. “We need a Roman Curia that is increasingly missionary, where institutions, offices, and tasks are designed to address today's great ecclesial, pastoral, and social challenges, and not just to ensure ordinary administration.
Communion: “In Illo uno unum”
At the same time, the mission in the life of the Church is closely linked to communion, the Pope pointed out. “Christmas reminds us that Jesus came to reveal to us the true face of God as Father, so that we could all be his children and, therefore, brothers and sisters among ourselves.
This task is more urgent than ever, both internally and externally. Internally, “because communion in the Church always remains a challenge that calls us to conversion. Sometimes, behind an apparent tranquility, the ghosts of division stir.”.
“Risk of falling victim to rigidity and ideology”
"In interpersonal relationships, in the internal dynamics of offices and roles, or when dealing with issues related to faith, liturgy, morality, and others, there is a risk of falling victim to rigidity and ideology, with the contradictions that this implies,” he said.
But “we are the Church of Christ, we are its members, its body. We are brothers and sisters in Him. And in Christ, even though we are many and different, we are one: “In Illo uno unum,”” he reiterated, returning to his papal motto.
We are also called, especially here in the Curia, he said, “to be builders of Christ's communion, which asks to be configured as a synodal Church, where everyone collaborates and cooperates in the same mission, each according to their own charism and the role they have received.”.
Personal conversion: “Christ at the center.”.
There is a personal conversion that we must desire and pursue, so that in our relationships the love of Christ that makes us brothers and sisters may shine through. (...) Dear brothers and sisters, mission and communion are possible if we put Christ at the center.
Finally, the Successor of Peter recalled “that fifty years ago, on the feast of the Immaculate Conception, the Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii nuntiandi was promulgated by Saint Paul VI.”.
Christian witness
This Exhortation highlights, among other things, two realities that the Pope has emphasized: the mission of evangelization and witness: “the primary means of evangelization is an authentically Christian life, dedicated to God in a communion that nothing should interrupt and at the same time consecrated equally to one's neighbor with boundless zeal” (n. 41).
The papal petition concluded: “May the Lord give us his own condescension, his own compassion, his love, so that every day we may be his disciples and witnesses. I sincerely wish you all a Holy Christmas. May the Lord bring us his light and grant peace to the world.”.
With the workers of the Curia, before the Nativity scene
Shortly afterwards, the Pope met with workers from the Roman Curia, the Vatican Governorate, and the Vicariate of Rome. In a family atmosphere, Leo XIV spoke about the Belen, “which is also present here, in this nativity scene donated by Costa Rica.”.
In the nativity scene, “popular imagination has often included numerous figures from everyday life who populate the space surrounding the cave,” he said. “Thus, in addition to the inevitable shepherds, protagonists of the event according to the Gospel, we find figures representing various trades: the blacksmith, the innkeeper, the washerwoman, the knife sharpener, etc.”.
The figures: our occupations, full meaning in God's plan
These are trades from times gone by: some have disappeared or been completely transformed, he commented. “However, they retain their significance within the nativity scene. They remind us that all our activities, our daily occupations, take on their full meaning in God's plan, centered on Jesus Christ.”.
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